Ladder stabilizer

ABSTRACT

A stabilizer for supporting a ladder formed of a U-shaped frame of extruded tubing of diamond shaped cross section providing a flat clamping surface cocked at an angle to the plane of the frame and which is clamped to the upright members of a ladder so as to be automatically oriented in horizontal position to press at right angles against the wall of the building when the ladder is in its normal working position. Pivoted feet are provided at the ends of the frame held resiliently in a centered, wall engaging, position but capable of rocking movement for self alinement with angled wall surfaces. Each foot is fitted with a rubber pad surfaced to prevent slipping in any direction. The diamond cross section provides an adjacent clamping surface which is parallel to the plane of the frame for permitting the frame to be clamped parallel to the upright members of the ladder to provide lateral outboard support. The frame is fitted with a pair of parallel rods for slidable reception of a rectangular tray.

United States Patent Walkeret al.'l

1 51 Sept. 26, 1972 I541 LADDER STABILIZER [72] Inventorz Patrick J.Walker; Harold W.

Stillman, lr., Chicago. Ill.

[73] Assignee: Kinkead Industries, Incorporated,

Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filedi I Dec. 14, I970 [21 1 Appl. No.: 97,809

[52] U.S.CI. ..182/129, 182/111, 182/129 Primary ExaminerReinaldo P.Machado Attorney-George E. Verhage, John K. Wise and Dana M. Schmidt[57] ABSTRACT A stabilizer for supporting a ladder formed of a U- shapedframe of extruded tubing of diamond shaped cross section providing aflat clamping surface cocked at an angle to the plane of the frame andwhich is clamped to the upright members of a ladder so as to beautomatically oriented in horizontal position to press at right anglesagainst the wall of the building when the ladder is in its normalworking position. Pivoted feet are provided at the ends of the frameheld resiliently in a centered, wall engaging, position but capable ofrocking movement for self alinement with angled wall surfaces. Eachfootis fitted with a rubber pad surfaced to prevent slipping in anydirection. The

, diamond cross section provides an adjacent clamping surface which isparallel to the plane of the frame for permitting the frame to beclamped parallel to the upright members of the ladder to provide lateraloutboard support. The frame is fitted with a pair of parallel rods forslidable reception of a rectangular tray.

7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDsms m2 K JWALKsR HAROLD W STILL/MANPATRI LADDER STABILIZER It is an object of the present invention toprovide a stabilizer which is safer and more convenient thanconventional devices, which assumes proper orientation on the laddersimply by clamping in place without exercise of any particular care orattention on the part of the user, and which is easily and quicklyinstalled and removed. More specifically it is an object of the presentinvention to provide a ladder stabilizer which is formed of a singlelength of extruded tubing of special cross section which provides aclamping surface along the length thereof cocked at a predeterminedangle to insure horizontal projection and which provides a convenientsupporting surface for materials used by a painter, tuckpointer or otherartisan.

It' is a related object of the present invention to provide a ladderstabilizer formed of a length of extruded tubing which has an auxiliaryclamping surface which lies parallel to the plane of the devicepermitting the stabilizer to be positioned parallel to the plane of theladder to provide outboard lateral support.

It is an object of the invention, in one of its detailed aspects, toprovide a stabilizer having a tray or carrier for convenient support oftoolsand materials at any point along the length of the'stabilizer.

It is a general object to provide a ladder stabilizer which may bemanufactured at a cost sufficiently low as to extend its market tohouseholders and others requiring safety in occasional usage.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the attached detailed description and upon reference to thedrawing in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view showing the stabilizer secured to the upperendof a ladder in working position.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken through the structure shown inFIG. 1. v

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross section taken through one of the legs ofthe stabilizer and showing a supporting foot.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section looking along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a face view of the foot looking along the line 5-5 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the tray construction.

FIG. 7 is a diagram, at reduced scale, showing inverted mounting of thestabilizer for roof engagement.

FIG. 8 shows the stabilizer employed for outboard support at the foot ofthe ladder.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it will be understood that I do not intend to limit theinvention to the particular embodiment shown but intend to cover thevarious alternative and equivalent constructions included within thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to the drawing, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a stabilizer 10 securedto the upright members 11 of an extension ladder having extensiblesections l2, l3 fitted with the usual rungs l4. Suitable locking means(not shown) are provided for keeping the sections l2, 13 of the ladderlocked in any desired extended position.

In accordance with the present invention the stabilizer is formed of anextruded tube of aluminum or the like bentintoU-shape and with the crosssection of the tube being such as to provide a flat mounting face, orclamping surface, which is cocked at an angle with respectto the planeof the stabilizer so that when the stabilizer is clamped to the uprightmembers of the ladder, the stabilizer will, when the ladder is in itsinclined working position, automatically assume horizontal orientationfor pressing against the wall of a building and to serve simultaneouslyas a horizontal support for the tools and materials of the workman. Asshown in the drawing the extruded tube is formed into a frame by bendingat l8, 19 to define a cross member 20, having a length whichsubstantially exceeds the width of the ladder, as well as projectinglegs 21, 22. The legs occupy a common plane and are parallel to oneanother, but the legs may be slightly divergent, if desired, withoutdeparting from the present invention.

More specifically in accordance with the invention the tubing of whichthe device is formed is diamondshapedin cross section, as shown in FIG.2, with a total of four surfaces. The first surface 3l, which serves asa presented clamping face, is cocked at an angle to the plane of thedevice, an angle which is on the order of The angle may be convenientlyrelated, as at a, to a line which is perpendicular to the frame andwhich corresponds to the normal tiltingof the ladder from the vertical,an angle of about 15 degrees when the ladder is in its working position,thereby insuring that the stabilizer extends at right angles intoengagement with the building wall indicated at W. Arranged parallel tothe clamping surface 31 is an oppositely facing surface 32 which isparallel thereto. The remaining surfaces of. the extrusion, indicated at33, 34 are arranged parallel to the plane of the device.

For the purpose of clamping the stabilizer to the ladder, a pair ofU-bolts 40 are used, having wing nuts 41, 42 which press upon aregistering clamping plate 43. To assemble the device it is a simplematter to slip the U-bolts over the upright members of the ladder, inangled position so that they extend beyond the cross members 20, afterwhich the plate 43 and nuts 41, 42 are assembled and turned tight.Finger tightness is adequate to prevent slippage. The uprights of theladder are preferably centered with respect to the cross member 20 butmay be offset to one side or the other as desired.

In carrying out the invention the feet of the stabilizer are providedwith shoes which are resiliently held in a vertical position forengagement with a vertical wall surface but which are free to rock inone direction or the other for self-accomodation to angled surfaces suchas overlapped siding, shingles, or shakes. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, ashoe, indicated at 50, is made up of a short length of extrusion havinga bracket in the form of walls 51, 52 spaced parallel to one another andwhich are integral with a sole 53. For the purpose of pivoting the shoea rod 54 extends (see FIG. 4) through mated openings in the walls 31, 32and 51, 52, the rod being made captive by a nut 55 threaded to the endof the rod. The shoe is supported in horizontal position (FIG. 3) by alength of spring 60 having a first end 61, a series of convolutions 62which surround the rod 54, and a lower or hooked end 63 which is hookedunder the member 51. The spring 60 is strong enough to support theweight of the shoe in the position shown while recessed rivets 66 andwhich has sets of circular ridges 67, 68 integrally molded therein. Itis found that the circular nature of the ridges tends to inhibitslippage in all directions, either upwardly or downwardly or to theside, on the wall surface.

It is one of the further features of the construction that rods areprovided extending between the legs 21, 22, and arranged parallel to oneanother, for the purpose of slidably supporting a tray havingrod-engaging flanges formed along its lateral edges. The rods, in-

dicated at 54, 54a, and held in place by nuts 55, 55a at the ends,support a tray 70 of rectangularconfiguration having integrally formedand downwardly-turned supporting flanges 71, 72 along the lateral edges,the tray 70 being "dimensioned to fit more or less snugly between therods. As shown in FIG. 1 the tray may be employed to hold tools such ascaulking guns or a quantity of sand paper orany other material needed bythe user. The tray may be centered with respect to the ladder and pushedto one side or the other as convenient.

Also, as convenient, a bucket of paint P may be suspended by a hook H atany point along the cross member 20. For transport the bucket may besupported in the tray well as shown in FIG. 6. To facilitate singlehanded transport of the tray, particularly when ascending the ladder,the tray is provided with two bails 75, of rectangular configuration,which are pivoted to the ends of the tray and which, folded together,form an arch as shown in FIG. 6. When grasped by the bails, the tray iswell balanced, with the centering action of the bails tending to crowdthe load, typically a gallon bucket of paint, into centered position,and hence secure, as the ladder is ascended. The bails are tailored, inwidth, so that they may be swung outwardly and downwardly between therods 54, 54a to a suspended, out-of-the-way position adjacent the endsof the tray. While the ladder stabilizer is shown, in FIG. 1, as

a mounted at the top of an extension type ladder, it will be apparentthat in painting a low building a single ladder section having uprights11 will suffice. In such circumstances the stabilizer may be mounted atthe top of the ladder for the initial pass and then secured at asomewhat lower level on the ladder for the second or successive passes.Since the paint bucket and tools or equipment may be used first at oneend of the stabilizer and then at the other simply by sliding the trayalong the rods, a wider ,vertical strip may be safely covered at asingle position of the ladder than is possible where no stabilizer isused or where a stabilizer of conventional design is employed.

The projection of the legs 21, 22 may in many cases be sufficient topermit the stabilizer to rest against the side of the building eventhough the ladder may project upwardly beyond the gutter level. However,it is one of the features and advantages of the construction that it maybe clamped to the ladder either in direct position, as described, or ininverted position as shown in FIG. 7,

with the stabilizer angling downwardly into engagement with the roof ofthe building and with the ladder arching over the gutter. This isparticularly desirable where the gutters are formed of extremely lightmetal, such 'as thin aluminum, or where the gutters are poorlysupported. The non-slip pads 65, in such usage, again tend to insureagainst relative slippage. While it is true that in the inverted usageshown in FIG. 7 there may be a strain upon the stabilizer as, forexample, where the lower end of the ladder sinks into soft ground, it isfound that the diamond cross section of the stabilizer tubing provides asolid seat combined with a high degree of torsional rigidity so that thestabilizer does not tend to become deformed at theregion of engagementwith the ladder uprights nor tend to twist bodily out of its normalplane.

As stated, it is one of the further features of the construction that itmay be rotated parallel to the plane of the ladder and then secured tothe upright members to provide lateral outboard support against tippingof the ladder sideways in one direction or the other. For example, thestabilizer 10 may be mounted at the foot of the ladder with the surface33 of the cross member in clamping engagement and with the shoes 50.ateach end of the stabilizer in contact with the ground or in contact witha suitable upraised support or platform which is, in turn, supported atground level. This is particularly advantagous to prevent slippage ofthe ladder under conditions of poor ground support, where the upper endof the ladder cannot be securely positioned, and especially where theladder is extended to nearly its full length. Indeed, use of thestabilizer in the manner shown in FIG. 8 makes it unnecessary to have anassistant where an assistant might otherwise be considered necessary tohold the ladder stationary while the work is being done aloft. The rods54, 54a perform a useful bracing function preventing the stabilizer frombeing bent or spread when subjected to severe loading, as, for example,where the'ladder mustbe supported by the feet of the stabilizer actingalone.

The present design of the stabilizer, in spite of its versatility andoperating features, is nevertheless cheaper to manufacture thanconventional stabilizers. The frame is essentially of one piececonstruction, and it involves no more expense to extrude the tubing in adiamond-shaped cross section than it does to extrude the tubing in asquare or circular form. The structure thus takes inherent advantage ofthe angle of cocking which characterizes the diamond shape. The onlyother parts required are the feet which are pinned to the legs by thesame rod 54 which performs the tray supporting function, with thestructure being additionally braced by the second supporting rod 54a.The U-bolts which clamp the stabilizer in place form a negligibleelement of cost. Consequently the stabilizer unit may be priced at alevel which permits purchase by householders and other casual users of aladder who are generally inclined to feel that they cannot afford adevice of this kind but who, because of lack of experience, have need ofthe safety features which the structure provides.

While a flat clamping surface 31 is preferred, it will be understoodthat such surface need not be perfectly smooth as long as it establishesa plane of clamping which is cocked with respect to the frame.

The term tubular while generally referring to a completely enclosed tubeis not necessarily limited thereto and includes within its scope hollowstructural members which may be at least partially open sided.

It is one of the features of the stabilizer construction thatself-leveling results in a level tray which is important in working withpaint cans of less than gallon size which, lacking a bail, require flatand level support.

What I claim is:

l. A ladder stabilizer intended for clamping to the upper or lowerportions of the upright members of a ladder comprising, in combination,a tubular frame formed into U-shape to define two projecting legs and anintegral cross member, the latter substantially exceeding the width ofthe ladder, feet at the ends of the respective legs each having anon-skid surface for presentation to the wall of a building, the tubularframe being shaped in cross section to define a flat clamping surfaceextending along the length thereof for face to face engagement with theupper portion of said upright members, which clamping surface is cockedat an angle to the plane of the frame so that when the ladder is in itsnormal inclined working position the frame extends horizontallytherefrom for engagement with the wall or roof of the building, saidtubular frame having an auxiliary flat clamping surface extending alongthe length of at least the cross member and lying parallel to the planeof the frame for clamping in face toface engagement with the lowerportion of said upright members to provide lateral outboard support whenthe ladder is in its normally inclined working position, and means forclamping either of said clamping surfaces to the upright members of theladder.

2. A ladder stabilizer as claimed in claim 7 in which the feet arepivoted to the ends of the legs for limited rocking movement about ahorizontal axis and in which each foot has an associated spring formaintaining the same resiliently centered 'with respect to theassociated leg and positioned to engage a supporting wall surface atright angles to the plane of the frame while permittingself-accommodation to an angled wall surface.

3. The ladder stabilizer as claimed in claim 7 in which the feet at theends of the respective legs are fitted with rubber pads having acircularly ridged surface for inhibiting skidding movement in anydirection along the wall of the building.

4. A ladder stabilizer intended for clamping to the upright members of aladder comprising, in combination, a frame of tubular cross sectionformed into U- shape to define two projecting legs and an integral crossmember which substantially exceeds the width of the ladder, feet at theends of the respective legs each having a surface for presentation tothe wall of a building, means for clamping the cross member of the frameto the vertical members of the ladder, the cross member having a flatclamping surface extending along the length thereof for face to faceengagement with the upright members and which is cocked at an angle tothe plane of the frame so that when the ladder is in its normallyinclined working position the frame extends horizontally therefrom forengagement with the wall of the building, the cross member furtherhaving an adjacent auxiliary clamping surface which is parallel to theplane of the frame so that when the frame is cla ed othe lower nd of theladder with h 'l' ry cl mping surface in engagement with the members andwith the feet in engagement with the ground, outboard lateral support isprovided, in the plane of the ladder, against sidewise movement of theladder in either direction.

5. A ladder stabilizer intended for clamping to the upright members of aladder comprising, in combination, a frame of tubular cross sectionformed into U- shape to define two projecting legs and an integral crossmember which substantially exceeds the width of the ladder, feet at theends of the respective legs each having a surface for presentation tothe wall of a building, means for clamping the cross member of the frameto the vertical members of the ladder, the cross member having a flatclamping surface extending along the length thereof for face to faceengagement with the upright members and which is cocked at an angle tothe plane of the frame so that when the ladder. is in its normallyinclined working position the frame extends horizontally therefrom forengagement with the wall of the building, the frame further including apair of ,spaced reinforcing rods extending parallel to one another fromone of the legs to the other and in which a shallow rectangular tray isprovided having means on its lateral edges for registering with the rodsfor sliding of the tray horizontally from one end of the frame to theother.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 5 in which the tray is providedwith a pair of bails secured to the tray at the opposite ends thereofand having a length such that they meet at the middle of the tray inarching configuration for single handed gripping to hold a can of paintin the tray for transport, the bails having a width which is less thanthe spacing between the rods so that the bails may be swung outwardlyand downwardly to an out of the way position when the tray is mounded onthe rods.

7. A ladder stabilizer intended for clamping to the upright members of aladder comprising, in combination, a tubular frame formed into U-shapeto define two projecting legs and an integral cross member, the lattersubstantially exceeding the width of the ladder, feet at the ends of therespective legs each having a surface for presentation to the wall of abuilding, means for clamping the cross member of the frame to theupright members of the ladder, a shallow tray, means for slidablymounting the tray upon the frame, said mounting means extending from oneleg to the other whereby said tray may be moved from one leg of theframe to the other, the cross member having a flat clamping surfaceextending along the length thereof for engagement with the uprightmembers of the ladder and which is cocked at an angle to the plane ofthe frame so that when the ladder is in its normal working positioninclined from the vertical the frame extends horizontally therefrom forengagement with the wall of the building, thereby holding the trayhorizontal for support of open cans of paint or the like.

1. A ladder stabilizer intended for clamping to the upper or lower portions of the upright members of a ladder comprising, in combination, a tubular frame formed into U-shape to define two projecting legs and an integral cross member, the latter substantially exceeding the width of the ladder, feet at the ends of the respective leGs each having a non-skid surface for presentation to the wall of a building, the tubular frame being shaped in cross section to define a flat clamping surface extending along the length thereof for face to face engagement with the upper portion of said upright members, which clamping surface is cocked at an angle to the plane of the frame so that when the ladder is in its normal inclined working position the frame extends horizontally therefrom for engagement with the wall or roof of the building, said tubular frame having an auxiliary flat clamping surface extending along the length of at least the cross member and lying parallel to the plane of the frame for clamping in face to face engagement with the lower portion of said upright members to provide lateral outboard support when the ladder is in its normally inclined working position, and means for clamping either of said clamping surfaces to the upright members of the ladder.
 2. A ladder stabilizer as claimed in claim 7 in which the feet are pivoted to the ends of the legs for limited rocking movement about a horizontal axis and in which each foot has an associated spring for maintaining the same resiliently centered with respect to the associated leg and positioned to engage a supporting wall surface at right angles to the plane of the frame while permitting self-accommodation to an angled wall surface.
 3. The ladder stabilizer as claimed in claim 7 in which the feet at the ends of the respective legs are fitted with rubber pads having a circularly ridged surface for inhibiting skidding movement in any direction along the wall of the building.
 4. A ladder stabilizer intended for clamping to the upright members of a ladder comprising, in combination, a frame of tubular cross section formed into U-shape to define two projecting legs and an integral cross member which substantially exceeds the width of the ladder, feet at the ends of the respective legs each having a surface for presentation to the wall of a building, means for clamping the cross member of the frame to the vertical members of the ladder, the cross member having a flat clamping surface extending along the length thereof for face to face engagement with the upright members and which is cocked at an angle to the plane of the frame so that when the ladder is in its normally inclined working position the frame extends horizontally therefrom for engagement with the wall of the building, the cross member further having an adjacent auxiliary clamping surface which is parallel to the plane of the frame so that when the frame is clamped to the lower end of the ladder with the auxiliary clamping surface in engagement with the upright members and with the feet in engagement with the ground, outboard lateral support is provided, in the plane of the ladder, against sidewise movement of the ladder in either direction.
 5. A ladder stabilizer intended for clamping to the upright members of a ladder comprising, in combination, a frame of tubular cross section formed into U-shape to define two projecting legs and an integral cross member which substantially exceeds the width of the ladder, feet at the ends of the respective legs each having a surface for presentation to the wall of a building, means for clamping the cross member of the frame to the vertical members of the ladder, the cross member having a flat clamping surface extending along the length thereof for face to face engagement with the upright members and which is cocked at an angle to the plane of the frame so that when the ladder is in its normally inclined working position the frame extends horizontally therefrom for engagement with the wall of the building, the frame further including a pair of spaced reinforcing rods extending parallel to one another from one of the legs to the other and in which a shallow rectangular tray is provided having means on its lateral edges for registering with the rods for sliding of the tray horizontally from one end of the frame to the other.
 6. The combination as Claimed in claim 5 in which the tray is provided with a pair of bails secured to the tray at the opposite ends thereof and having a length such that they meet at the middle of the tray in arching configuration for single handed gripping to hold a can of paint in the tray for transport, the bails having a width which is less than the spacing between the rods so that the bails may be swung outwardly and downwardly to an out of the way position when the tray is mounded on the rods.
 7. A ladder stabilizer intended for clamping to the upright members of a ladder comprising, in combination, a tubular frame formed into U-shape to define two projecting legs and an integral cross member, the latter substantially exceeding the width of the ladder, feet at the ends of the respective legs each having a surface for presentation to the wall of a building, means for clamping the cross member of the frame to the upright members of the ladder, a shallow tray, means for slidably mounting the tray upon the frame, said mounting means extending from one leg to the other whereby said tray may be moved from one leg of the frame to the other, the cross member having a flat clamping surface extending along the length thereof for engagement with the upright members of the ladder and which is cocked at an angle to the plane of the frame so that when the ladder is in its normal working position inclined from the vertical the frame extends horizontally therefrom for engagement with the wall of the building, thereby holding the tray horizontal for support of open cans of paint or the like. 